Mijn familie – Dat u in interessante tijden moge leven I Fiona Tan Retrospective

Fiona Tan was born in Indonesia from an Indonesian-Chinese father and an Australian mother, and as such May You Live in Interesting Times (Dat u in interessante tijden moge leven) is Tan’s most autobiographical work to date.

It traces the history of the Tan family. In a documentary style, the work critically analyzes the construction of (her own) identity, but also investigates the identity of the Overseas Chinese and delves into their diaspora. Through various testimonies relating some of the history and the present day situation of the family and its individuals, a journey is made which leads from The Netherlands to Germany, Australia, Indonesia, Hong Kong and China, where the original ‘Tan-village’ is found. Although every inhabitant of this place carries the Tan name, the artist herself feels that she will never be able to feel at home there. May You Live in Interesting Times, displays how personal and political history, migratory movements and cultural background modifies the perception of identity. Although the myths of an original culture may persist, it inevitably gets transformed and even abandoned across time.

De Uitkijk shows a retrospective of Fiona Tan from July

The people at de Uitkijk have kindly offered a limited amount of free tickets for Subbacultcha members. Please make a reservation by sending an email to mailinglist@subbacultcha.nl with “Dat u in interessante tijden moge leven ” in the subject line + your name in the email.